Leroy Lita facts for kids
Lita playing for Sisaket in 2017
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Leroy Halirou Bohari Lita | ||
| Date of birth | 28 December 1984 | ||
| Place of birth | Kinshasa, Zaire | ||
| Height | 1.76 m | ||
| Playing position | Forward | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Barwell | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1999–2001 | Chelsea | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2002–2005 | Bristol City | 85 | (31) |
| 2005–2009 | Reading | 83 | (20) |
| 2008 | → Charlton Athletic (loan) | 8 | (3) |
| 2008–2009 | → Norwich City (loan) | 16 | (7) |
| 2009–2011 | Middlesbrough | 78 | (20) |
| 2011–2014 | Swansea City | 18 | (2) |
| 2012 | → Birmingham City (loan) | 10 | (3) |
| 2013 | → Sheffield Wednesday (loan) | 17 | (6) |
| 2013 | → Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) | 5 | (1) |
| 2014–2015 | Barnsley | 19 | (2) |
| 2015 | → Notts County (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 2015–2016 | AO Chania | 11 | (1) |
| 2016 | Yeovil Town | 8 | (1) |
| 2017 | Sisaket | 21 | (5) |
| 2018 | Margate | 3 | (0) |
| 2019 | Salisbury | 3 | (2) |
| 2019–2020 | Chelmsford City | 12 | (1) |
| 2020–2022 | Nuneaton Borough | 21 | (5) |
| 2022 | Stratford Town | 11 | (3) |
| 2022–2023 | Hednesford Town | 29 | (17) |
| 2023 | Ilkeston Town | 18 | (16) |
| 2023–2024 | Nuneaton Borough | 22 | (6) |
| 2024 | Coalville Town | 6 | (1) |
| 2024– | Barwell | 8 | (3) |
| National team | |||
| 2005–2007 | England U21 | 9 | (6) |
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Leroy Halirou Bohari Lita (born on December 28, 1984) is an English footballer. He plays as a forward for the club Barwell.
Leroy started his football journey in the youth team at Chelsea. However, he didn't play for their main team. In 2002, he moved to Bristol City. Later, he played for Reading, where his great playing helped him join the England under-21 squad. He also played for many other clubs. These include Middlesbrough, Swansea City, and Barnsley. He even played in Greece for AO Chania and in Thailand for Sisaket. He also had short loan spells at several clubs. After his time in professional leagues, he moved to play in non-league football.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting at Bristol City
Leroy Lita was born in Kinshasa. He made his first appearance for Bristol City in the 2002–03 season. He scored his first goal in September 2002, which was a late winning goal.
In the 2003–04 season, at 18, Lita signed his first professional contract with Bristol City. A scout named Roger Barton found him. During the 2004–05 season, he became a key player for the team. That year, he scored an amazing 29 goals for his club. He also scored one goal for the England U21 team, making it 30 goals in total that season.
Time at Reading
On July 13, 2005, Lita joined Reading. He moved for a club record fee of £1 million. This was a big step up for him.
Lita scored in his very first game for Reading. He scored a header against Plymouth Argyle. He scored three goals in his first three games. This included two goals in a 3–0 win against Preston. He also scored an amazing overhead kick in a 3–2 win against Crystal Palace.
He then got injured and was out for six weeks. When he returned, he scored a fantastic hat-trick against West Bromwich Albion in the FA Cup. He scored a dipping shot from 25 yards. He continued to score, helping Reading win the Championship title. They were promoted to the Premier League with a record 106 points.
Lita had a good start in the Premier League. He scored the winning goal against Middlesbrough on the first day. Reading came back from 2–0 down to win 3–2. He scored against Chelsea and Manchester United. He also scored twice in a 6–0 win over West Ham. Later, he scored two late goals in a 2–0 win against Manchester City.
He faced some small injuries and sometimes didn't play as much. In April 2007, Lita was banned for three games. This was for an incident with a Charlton Athletic player. Reading finished eighth in their first Premier League season. Before the 2007–08 season, Lita had an unusual injury. He hurt a leg muscle while stretching in bed. This kept him out for a month. He didn't play much that season and was also injured often. Reading was relegated from the Premier League that year.
Loan Spells
On March 5, 2008, Lita joined Charlton Athletic on a loan. He was looking for more playing time. The loan was extended, but he was called back by Reading before the season ended.
Lita then went to Norwich City for a month-long loan in October. He scored four goals in his first six games. This included a hat-trick against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Reading and Norwich extended his loan twice. Lita scored seven goals for Norwich. He was their top scorer that season, even though Norwich was relegated.
Back at Reading
Lita returned to Reading. He scored a goal against Watford in January 2009. He said he had changed and wanted to help Reading get promoted.
Sheffield United offered to buy Lita, but the deal fell through. They didn't want to pay the extra fee Lita asked for. In May, Lita and some other players were told their contracts would not be renewed.
Playing for Middlesbrough
On August 3, 2009, Lita joined Middlesbrough for free. He made his first appearance on August 7. Lita scored his first goal for Middlesbrough against Doncaster Rovers. He got a yellow card for taking off his shirt while celebrating. He scored his second goal against his old club, Reading.
In December 2009, Lita scored two goals in a 5–1 win against QPR. This was Middlesbrough's first win under their new manager. He got another yellow card for celebrating. On December 26, Lita received his first red card for an elbow during a game.
For the 2010–11 season, Lita scored against Reading again. On his 26th birthday, he scored two goals against Preston. He also scored twice against his first club, Bristol City. He apologized to Bristol City fans for his celebration after being booed.
Moving to Swansea City
On July 27, 2011, Swansea City, a newly promoted Premier League team, bought Lita. They paid £1.75 million for him. He signed a three-year contract. He played his first game for Swansea against Manchester City. Lita scored his first Swansea goal on September 17, 2011, against West Bromwich Albion. He scored a header in a 3–0 win.
Loan to Birmingham City
On September 6, 2012, Lita joined Birmingham City on a three-month loan. He scored his first goal for them in his second game. After scoring three goals in ten games, his loan ended early. This allowed him to recover from a thigh injury.
Loan to Sheffield Wednesday
Lita made his debut for Sheffield Wednesday on January 26, 2013. He scored the winning goal after coming on as a substitute. He scored again in his next game. Leroy scored his third goal against Crystal Palace. He had a special celebration, making an "M" with his fingers for "massive." He also scored a penalty against Blackburn Rovers. Lita helped Sheffield Wednesday avoid relegation.
Loan to Brighton & Hove Albion
On October 16, 2013, Lita joined Brighton on loan. He played his first game as a substitute. Lita scored his first goal for Brighton in a 3–1 win against Doncaster Rovers. He played five games and scored one goal during his loan.
Playing for Barnsley
After leaving Swansea City, Lita signed a one-year deal with League One team Barnsley on August 9, 2014.
Loan to Notts County
In March 2015, Lita joined Notts County on loan. He stayed until the end of the 2014–15 season.
Playing in Greece and Thailand
In August 2015, Lita signed for AO Chania, a Greek football team. On March 5, 2016, he joined League Two team Yeovil Town. He was released at the end of that season. On January 7, 2017, Lita joined Thai League T1 team Sisaket.
Non-League Football Journey
In September 2018, Lita joined Margate, an English non-league club. In August 2019, at 34, Lita announced he was retiring from professional football. He then became a coach for Haverhill Rovers. Later, he signed short deals to play for Salisbury and Chelmsford City.
He spent 18 months with Nuneaton Borough. Then he joined Stratford Town in January 2022.
Hednesford Town and Ilkeston Town
On March 24, 2022, Lita signed for Hednesford Town. He scored three goals in his first game! He finished that season with six goals in six games. He signed a new deal for the next season.
In August 2022, Lita became a caretaker manager for Hednesford. Later, he became a player-coach. In October 2022, Lita scored another hat-trick in just four minutes! In January 2023, Lita joined Ilkeston Town.
Nuneaton Borough, Coalville Town, Barwell
On August 1, 2023, Lita returned to Nuneaton Borough. He left the club in January 2024. The next day, he joined Coalville Town. After two months, he moved to Barwell. He scored three goals in six games for Barwell. He re-signed with them for the 2024–25 season.
International Career
England U21 Breakthrough
Lita chose to play for England instead of DR Congo, the country where he was born. He scored in his first game for England U21. This was against the Netherlands U21 on February 8, 2005. He came on as a substitute and scored.
He had to wait over a year for his second game. He scored his second international goal in a 2–2 draw against Spain in February 2007.
2007 European U21 Championship
Even though he was 22, Lita could play in the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship. He was called up to the squad.
In the first game against the Czech Republic, England got a penalty. Lita missed it, and the game ended in a draw. However, he then scored in England's next three games. These included a 2–2 draw against Italy and a 2–0 win over Serbia. He also scored in the semi-final against the Netherlands, which England lost after a long penalty shoot-out.
Because of his great performance, he was named in the UEFA Dream Team for the tournament.
Honours
Reading
- Football League Championship: 2005–06
Individual
- PFA Team of the Year: 2004–05 League One
Images for kids
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Lita playing for Sisaket in 2017
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Lita playing for Middlesbrough in 2010
See also
In Spanish: Leroy Lita para niños
